New app says whether to spray crops or not

A new smartphone app aims to help farmers and advisers reduce the risk of key pesticides entering water this autumn, such as metaldehyde slug pellets and oilseed rape herbicide metazachlor.

UK farmers magazine Farmers Weekly reports that the app was developed by agchem firm Adama, as part of its commitment to promote the responsible use of current chemistry, which is under increasing pressure, being found in raw drinking water supplies, plus the need for the UK to comply with EU directives.

The WaterAware app offers a field-based risk assessment, integrating soil type, weather and soil moisture deficit information to provide farmers with a simple yes-or-no guide to whether they should apply pellets or spray crops in terms of the potential risk to surface water. It is calibrated for use in oilseed rape, winter wheat and grassland and available to download from Apple's App Store and the android version from 1 August.